When Love Goes Seriously Wrong
by Allen Blaster
Summary: Raphtalia had only wanted to get an object that'd help Naofumi to like her... but she never could have imagined how bad it'd backfire on her. And though she finds out she never needed such an object, she and Naofumi still find themselves on the run from a group of assorted women that they'll grow to fear more than the Three Heroes Church. RaphtaliaxNaofumi.


**I just want you all to know something before you get to reading this. Sometimes I have the weirdest most ridiculous ideas that I personally find funny. This one-shot (maybe more in the future) fic is one of those.**

**This idea came to my mind one night before college started back up for me. I don't know what led up to it, but I started wondering about the possibility of love charms or love enchantments existing in Melromarc. Then I wondered about the possibility that if there was such an enchantment, why was it never mentioned?... And this was the result. Hope you all enjoy it!**

**P.S.: If you can think of a better title for this, let me know.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything related to Rising of the Shield Hero. The below is probably one of the major reasons why.

* * *

_Several weeks after the events of Cal Mira_

"Ma'am witch! Ma'am witch!"

The plump old witch looked up. She'd been in the middle of organizing and setting up her new shop in the newly named Rock Valley Village when a heavily breathing Raphtalia came running in. "What is it, my dear?" She asked.

Raphtalia took a moment to calm her breaths down. "Do you remember that necklace you sold me?" She asked.

The witch looked at her confusedly. "Now what necklace are you talking-" Her eyes widened in realization when Raphtalia pulled a necklace from her inventory. It was an old, yet simple looking silver chain with a silver heart attachment. "Oh! I remember now! The Cupid's Necklace! Silly me, I only sold it to you two days ago. I must be getting too old to remember these things."

The witch rambled on for a moment more. Not realizing that Raphtalia had frustrated tears coming down her face.

"But enough about me." The witch broke off suddenly, her eyes still closed as she blissfully remembered something from the past. "I want to know if the Cupid's Necklace worked for you or not."

"..."

The witch finally opened her eyes and saw Raphtalia gripping the silver chain tightly. So much that if it hadn't been enchanted, it would have snapped. "My dear, did it not work?" She asked.

"It worked alright…" Raphtalia's frustration gave way to anger. "It attracted him to everyone else except me!" She screamed.

The witch was taken aback by Raphtalia's tone and took a moment to make sure her pointy hat was still aright on her head before she spoke again. "Let me prepare us some tea, and then you can explain to me what happened."

…

"There. A fresh mug of lavender tea. That should help you." The witch said as she set the mug of tea in front of Raphtalia. The witch sat down in the seat opposite of Raphtalia, moving some of her books and her crystal ball out of the way so she could better see the tanuki girl. "Feel better now dear?" The witch asked.

Raphtalia took a small sip of the hot tea. "A little." She admitted as she wiped away some dried tears from her face. She wasn't crying anymore, but her eyes were still puffy.

"Good. Now that you aren't so angry anymore, how about you tell me what went wrong with the necklace I sold you?" The witch asked.

Raphtalia grimaced to herself and set the mug to the side. "You, you said it was designed to help the wearer to fall in love with other girls, correct?" Raphtalia asked.

"Of course. Cupid's Necklace is a very old charm necklace dating back to the times when city-states married to get stronger." The witch said happily as she started to explain what ancient bit of folklore she knew about it. "Back when the kingdoms were nothing but city-states ruled over by lords, the only other way to obtain more land outside of bloodshed was for a son or daughter of a lord to marry the son or daughter of another lord."

As the witch spoke, her magic moved her crystal ball back in front of her. Smoke rose out from it, forming moving images to accompany her words. "These marriages were usually arranged years in advance to help strengthen the relationships of city-states early on." The mist changed, showing two small figures that quickly grew up to adulthood. Both figures were dressed in wedding garb, looking happy to be together. A shady audience was shown in the background, applauding the marriage. "Some of these marriages worked. And the city-states either became strong allies or combined into a larger city-state that had an era of peace and prosperity..."

The shady figures were changed out of their wedding garb. "However, even with years of getting to know each other, some of these arranged marriages didn't work out… some worse than others…" The two figures began what looked like a yelling match between each other in the air. Pointing and accusing the other of something long forgotten.

Then the image changed, showing the wife sleeping in a bed. The man appeared next to the bed, holding a dagger high in the air. "And the result of what happened when a marriage went wrong in the worst possible way between the son and daughter of the two most powerful Lords in the land… was an all-out war between the city-states."

The dagger thrust down into the figure asleep in the bed, and everything burst into smoke. Smoke that changed into a large remarkably detailed battlefield. Many figures on opposing sides were shown fighting on ground or horseback. Knights and peasants alike struck blade against blade. Wizards cast balls of fire, water, and other elements at the opposing armies. Even though the figures were shades made of smoke, the scene of war and carnage was horrible to witness. "The war raged between the two great alliances for years. With both sides blaming the other for what had happened. And the conflict didn't end until at last, one of the two Lords was slain."

After a moment, the image changed to show the aftermath of a battle. Various figures representing the Lords that had been fighting encircled the scene. The victor of the war held his wounded side, his son and several of the opposing Lords dead on the ground in front of him. Including his old ally and friend who he'd been fighting against... The shady figure raised his head to the heavens, and even though no sound came out of him, Raphtalia could have sworn she heard his yell of grief from a time long gone. Grief that still echoed through the centuries of time.

"After one last bloody battle that cost thousands of lives, the surviving Lords and nobles decided enough was enough." The scene changed, showing the surviving Lords and nobles standing around a round table. "They banded together and consulted with their wisest men to find a way to avoid such a war happening again." More figures joined the shades around the table. Leading what looked like a discussion. "After a while, it was decided that alternative means had to be made to ensure future arranged marriages between the high class didn't go awry. And so the surviving mages and blacksmiths were tasked with finding a spell and crafting accessories that could help the process to go smoothly and eliminate the risk of wars breaking out again because of an arranged marriage not working out."

The smoke forming the images disappeared, and the witch was revealed again smiling happily. Raphtalia still looked a little surprised to have gotten such a visual history lesson from the witch. "The end result of their efforts was the world's first successful love charms. Among the first of them made was the Cupid's Necklace. Enchanted and named to help ensure that the wearer would develop strong feelings for his/her spouse."

...

"Yeah, well, I guess the necklace did work in a way," Raphtalia said.

The witch looked confused. "But I thought you said it didn't my dear?" The witch asked curiously. "I'd understand of course if it didn't. This trinket is centuries old. I was lucky to even acquire such an old relic. And I've never had the opportunity to test it to see if it worked or not-"

"Please." Raphtalia interrupted the witch before she could ramble on again. "Just let me explain. It worked. It just… how do I describe it..."

The witch remained curiously silent. And so Raphtalia explained what happened to the witch.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Yesterday_

"Are you sure about this Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked skeptically.

The two of them were in a room of the castle. They had just finished having a meeting with the queen. Raphtalia had waited until they were getting ready to leave before presenting him with the 'gift' she'd purchased from the witch the day before. Right before they had left Rock Valley.

"Of course I am Master Naofumi! I can already tell it'll look great on you!" Raphtalia said excitedly.

"I guess… But why did you have to get this for me?" Naofumi asked as he examined the silver necklace in its box. He knew Raphtalia wasn't one for flashy jewelry. Hell, she only wore the accessories he made for her because of the benefits they gave to her stats. Though the fact that he made them might have also played a part.

"Well, I guess I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me and my village Master Naofumi. So I saved up some of my own money on the side and bought you a gift... Am I not allowed to do that?" She asked curiously.

"Of course you're allowed. I'm not going to stop you from being generous to others." Naofumi said as he held up the necklace. "I just don't know about this. I like to make them, but I'm not exactly one for wearing accessories." He said indifferently.

"Come on! Pretty please!"

Naofumi looked down at Raphtalia who was now begging him on her knees. She was giving him the face. Her eyes were wide and pleading. And it made it look like she'd cry if he said no. She might have looked very much more human than Tanuki, but she captured the face even better than any full-bred Tanuki he'd ever seen back at home.

Naofumi sighed to himself. "Fine. I'll wear it. But only for today on the ride back." Naofumi said, leaving no room in his tone for argument.

"Thank you Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia said happily, her tail wagging wildly behind her as she quickly got back up. She almost made to hug him but restrained herself.

Naofumi gave her a scrutinizing gaze. It wasn't that he didn't trust her. It just seemed like she was way too eager for him to try on this old, yet well maintained looking necklace. But without giving it a second thought, and with a simple action, he managed to clip it on around his neck.

Raphtalia watched with excited eyes. Waiting for the effects of the necklace to kick in. _'Any moment now. Any moment…'_

Naofumi looked around himself and scratched the back of his neck as if he was bored. The heart of the necklace rested on top of the breastplate of his Barbarian Armor. "Well... how does it look?" He asked.

Raphtalia blinked her eyes a couple of times. "It's like I said, it looks great on you!" She said happily. _'Maybe it takes a little time to start working.'_

Naofumi looked around himself again. It seemed like Raphtalia was waiting for something to happen. Who knows, maybe she'd gotten the item enchanted so that it would raise his attack power. Now that would be a gift he could appreciate. But the necklace's appraisal skill was so high that not even he could tell what effects it was supposed to have on him.

...

"So… are we going to get going or something?" He eventually asked.

Raphtalia… became disappointed. "You're not noticing a change or anything?" She asked.

"Of course I'm not," Naofumi replied. "Is there supposed to be a special effect or something from wearing this?" He asked.

"Well, yeah," Raphtalia said bashfully. "I guess the necklace is so old that the special effects for it don't work anymore-"

"Master!"

At that moment, Filo came running in interrupting Raphtalia. "Master, I can't find Melty! Do you know where she's hiding-"

Filo was cut off as a strange look overcame Naofumi. '_Huh?'_ Raphtalia thought. She didn't recognize why Master Naofumi was looking at Filo the way he was. Not until he got down on his knees to be at Filo's level. "Filo, did you ever realize how beautiful you look with those angel wings of yours?" He asked in a voice very unlike his own.

Filo looked taken aback. Raphtalia looked very much taken aback. _'Um… What's happening here?'_ She thought. '_I thought he looked at her as a large bird… not as a…'_

"Um, master?" Filo asked, looking nervous all of a sudden.

"I can see why Motoyasu is so interested in you now." Naofumi continued. His voice had definitely changed. It was like all the bitterness and frustration of the last year in this world had melted away. "There's just a way that the light moves through your hair… it's so... mesmerizing."

Filo looked to Raphtalia. She didn't look afraid as much as she was worried. "Big sis, what's going on with Master?"

"Nothing's wrong with me Filo. It's, it's like a part of me is finally letting me see you in a whole new light for the beautiful young woman that you are." Naofumi said in an awed voice.

Raphtalia's jaw gaped open. "Master Naofumi!" She said indignantly. '_He calls Filo a young woman when he still treats me like a little kid?! How dare him!'_

Despite Raphtalia yelling, Naofumi paid her no mind at all. It caused Raphtalia to become red in the face from anger. Filo started to back away, looking between a mixture of worried, nervous, and… before Filo could think of what it was, or how to respond, the familiar blue-haired girl she'd been looking for this happened walked in. "There you are Filo, I've been looking everywhere for you!" She said childishly.

"Wait, now might not be a good time Mel-" Filo tried to say.

"My dear Melty!"

Suddenly, Melty found herself taken aback. One of her hands was held in a tight embrace with the Shield Hero's. Naofumi now had a soft loving smile resting on his face as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "How can a child like you already look so ladylike and beautiful!?" He exclaimed in wonder.

This time, Raphtalia's jaw dropped to the floor, along with Filo's. Both of them looked at each other, wondering what the heck was going on.

"Oh, um, uh, Naofumi, what's, um, gotten into you, um, all of a sudden." Melty was almost at a loss for words.

"Shhh. It's okay. Your mom has already offered to have me married to you so we can have a new heir to the throne. And though I rejected her offer before, I find myself wanting to accept it now." Naofumi said lovingly while patting her head as if he was calming down a child.

"What?!" Raphtalia yelled in the background.

"WHAT?!" Filo sounded more betrayed than she did angry.

Melty just looked stunned. This time, no words slipped from her mouth, which was gaping in shock. Her cheeks started to blaze a deep crimson as the meaning of Naofumi's words sunk into her head.

"Of course, she wants it only for political reasons. But we can do it out of love if you'll take me and our future children." Naofumi said, looking deeply into the wildly blushing girl's eyes.

"Ah! Ahhhh! Ahh!" Melty looked very flustered and very concerned about the sudden mood shift from Naofumi. Of course, she'd expect her mom to do something like that. But she hadn't the Shield Hero to ever agree with her... Nor did she think that she'd find herself warming up to the idea...

"Big Sis, what's going on with Master?" Filo asked Raphtalia confusedly.

Raphtalia picked her jaw up and put it back into place. "I'm not sure, but whatever it is I'm going to put a stop to it right now-"

"Naofumi. I brought Rishia with me."

At that moment, Eclair and Rishia both walked in. Rishia naturally looked nervous, while Eclair naturally looked calm. Raphtalia stopped at the appearance of the two girls. '_Oh dear Gods, please tell me that it'll stop after two girls.'_ Raphtalia thought hopefully. Having deduced it was the necklace causing this strange behavior from Naofumi.

"Oh, what is it?" Naofumi asked curiously. Melty moved to stand beside Filo. Still looking shocked at what had happened.

Raphtalia heaved a sigh of relief as Eclair took a formal salute. '_Thank goodness, the charm necklace must be done now.'_ She thought in relief.

"I just wanted to report that Rishia did well in training today. She's almost mastered the-"

"Why do you two hide yourselves?" Naofumi suddenly asked them, his tone of voice changing again.

...

Rishia went wide-eyed and moved a little behind Eclair, who'd stopped speaking at Naofumi's question. "Um, what?" She asked, looking confused.

Raphtalia paled. '_Oh no, no no no no no no no…'_ She thought in shock.

"Why does Rishia hide her beauty in a costume? And why do you hide your beautiful face under a cold metal helmet?" Naofumi asked dreamily.

Eclair's calmness changed to a flustered look. And Rishia's nervous look changed to a freaked out look. "W-What?!" She squeaked out in a high pitched voice.

"Um, sir Naofumi, are you okay-" Eclair was asking.

"No, please don't speak." Naofumi was suddenly on his knees, holding onto one hand from both girls. Behind Naofumi, Raphtalia started internally screaming at herself and pulling at her hair. Filo and Melty were now wide-eyed as Naofumi not only confessed to one girl but two! The nerve!

Both girls looked down in surprise at the unusual gesture.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Eclair finally asked, her voice definitely not as calm as it was before.

"Just please, let me have this moment so I can etch your beautiful faces into my mind forever." He said happily. A dreamy smile on his face.

...

"AHHHHHHH!" Rishia reacted first, screaming her head off as she retracted her hand. She had no idea why Naofumi was reacting the way he was, but whatever the reason she wanted no part in it as she fled the scene through the wide-open door.

Eclair just continued to stand there in shock, very unsure about how to respond. Never before had someone said such words to her. And she was having a hard time figuring out what it was she needed to say.

"Yes! At last!"

Myne, AKA Princess Malty, AKA Bitch/Whore came striding in with purpose, holding a small dagger in one hand. "I finally found a loophole in my slave contract that should allow me to kill the cursed Shield! Prepare yourself Naofumi, because now I'll finally take my chance to make you pay-"

"My beautiful, ugly flower."

Naofumi was now on his knees in front of Myne, gripping the hand that wasn't holding the dagger. His face was a mixture of contempt and awe. It seemed even with the charm, he was somewhat reluctant to compliment the red-haired bitch.

"Ex-Excuse me?!" Bitch asked in shock.

"You, bitch, are slightly better than a pile of crap found on the side of a road. Your stunted personality is like an invigorating breath of fresh air strangling my lungs. I think of you as an amazing, absolutely awful specimen. And now, I find myself unable to resist your cold-hearted allure anymore." He said, his tone a mixture of admiration and disgust.

Bitch dropped her dagger out of pure shock. She wasn't sure whether she should feel amazing or insulted.

"I daresay Naofumi." The black-robed, the nameless Shadow appeared next to Myne. "I was wondering if I was going to have to intervene or not-"

"And you." Naofumi turned away from Myne, grasping the Shadow's hand. Fortunately, this Shadow didn't react voluntarily and cut off the hand. "Even with that mask of yours, I can still see the inner beauty you hide on the inside. I hope one of these days to see the face under the mask."

The shadow gave him a curt nod but didn't say anything. The lady shadow was very good at hiding her reactions to the situation.

"Hero Naofumi!"

As if said situation couldn't get any more ridiculous, Glass appeared in the doorway next. "I have finally taken the same route that L'arc and Therese used to get to your world! Now, I will avenge my world by destroying you-"

Naofumi grabbed the villainous by the shoulders. "Please, don't let such foul talk beguile those beautiful lips of yours." He interrupted her seriously.

Glass froze up. "W-What?!" She was expecting an epic duel, the appearance of the Shield of Wrath, maybe even a challenge like the last time. This was… this was not what she'd been expecting.

"You're misunderstood Glass. But don't worry, give me time and I'll pull back that dark shell to reveal the beautiful woman you are on the inside."

…

Everyone in the room, with the exception of the Shadow, stared at Naofumi in shock. Even Glass was in shock at such words coming from Naofumi. No one was as shocked though as Raphtalia was. '_Why is the necklace attracting him to everyone except me!'_ She thought in despair. Both at the fact that it wasn't working, and the fact that Naofumi was going to be very ticked at her after this whole mess was over.

She was beginning to think it'd be best if she took Naofumi out of the room right then and there when one last figure walked in.

"What's going on here?"

Queen Mirellia had arrived. She held a fan in one of her hands. "First Rishia comes running out of here screaming her head off, then I hear that Mal- excuse me, Bitch found a loophole to her slave contract, and now my shadows are reporting to me that Glass broke into the castle-"

"Mirellia! My favorite Milf!"

All jaws dropped to the floor at that statement, including the Queen's. Naofumi was now standing in front of the queen, holding the hand that didn't have the fan. Everyone in the room might have not known the term, but the auto-translation feature helped everyone to get the meaning of what Naofumi had just said.

"Ex-excuse me?" She asked nervously. Was Queen Mirellia blushing?

"Forgive me, your majesty! It's just all of a sudden, I've found my heart aching! Aching to be with you!"

"No… there's no way..." Raphtalia couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. She was too busy holding back tears as it was. '_The necklace attracts him to Queen Mirellia too!'_

"I know there's like a 20-year gap between us! But you barely look a day over 30 to me with how sexy you are in that cute outfit of course! Please, let me have a chance!" Naofumi continued.

Yep, the Queen was definitely blushing now. "My, I'm, I'm not sure what to say..." Mirellia was also at a loss for words.

"Just tell me I'm-"

Naofumi was suddenly grabbed by the arm by Raphtalia, who'd finally had enough of the necklace she'd purchased backfiring on her. "I'm sorry. My master obviously isn't feeling well at the moment. And I know some of you had business before he started acting all weird, but I think it'd be best if Filo and I got him back to Rock Valley right now." She tried to say in as calm a voice as possible.

"What are you talking about Raphtalia. I've never felt so great around so many beautiful people in my life." Naofumi said dreamily.

Raphtalia's grip tightened on his arm. "As you see, he is acting very much unlike himself." Her teeth were gritting to keep herself from screaming. He'd finally said her name, and it was as if she was a nuisance. A bother. Not worth his time.

It hurt, a lot more than she'd care to admit. "If you'll excuse me… I'll take my master back to Rock Valley so he can recover… come on Filo!"

With that, Raphtalia led/dragged Master Naofumi out of the room full of stunned girls. An equally stunned Filo followed along behind the two of them.

_'Maybe it's because I'm a demi-human.'_ Raphtalia thought to herself as she led Naofumi through a hallway of the Castle. _'I mean, I don't see how else it couldn't have worked-'_

"Hey, hot stuff!"

Raphtalia looked in the direction Naofumi had yelled, and saw, ironically, a female tanuki demi-human maid from the kitchen. One that, in her opinion, wasn't as hot as she was. But who looked similar to her in appearance and beauty.

"Um, what is it Sir Shield Hero?" The random maid asked. Confused at herself being called hot, and being called out to by one of the Cardinal Heroes. After all, she was only a maid.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?! I know I do-"

Raphtalia slapped her hand over his mouth. "Sorry to bother you! I'm afraid my master had too much to drink this evening!" She said, quickly leading Naofumi for the exit. She mentally facepalmed at the lame excuse. Everyone knew Naofumi couldn't get drunk.

Still, there was no other excuse she could come up with now for what happened. The necklace definitely worked. It worked on attracting the wearer to humans, young humans, older humans, demi-humans, and even Filolial Queens.

It just didn't attract Master Naofumi to her apparently. She cried silently to herself almost the whole trip back while Naofumi slept in the back of the carriage.

* * *

_End Flashback:_

"Oh dear." The witch said as she sat back in her seat. "I don't think I've ever heard of the Cupid's Necklace working like that before."

Raphtalia sniffed, wiping away a fresh tear from her face. "That must have been horrible for you to watch my dear." The witch said more gently. The demi-girl's feelings must have been hurt more than she'd let on.

"After all that, on our way back, I managed to take the necklace off from his neck." Raphtalia continued. "He woke up as we were arriving into Rock Valley earlier and… He… he didn't say a word to Filo or me. He just stormed off to his home and slammed the door... I'd never seen him look so angry before." Raphtalia whispered, tears threatening to come out of her eyes again.

"Well, I do remember that none of the love charms of back then erased the memories of what had happened to the wearer while he wore it." The witch said to herself. That fact didn't help Raphtalia to feel better, and the tears started to leak out again as she quietly sobbed.

"I just don't understand." Raphtalia cried. "I know Master Naofumi doesn't think of me as a little kid anymore, and I was the first girl he saw after he wore the necklace. But he didn't start acting differently until Filo walked in!" She put her face into her hands. "I just wanted to know if Master Naofumi could like someone like me... Is that too much to ask?!" She yelled at the ceiling.

...

The witch put a hand to her chin in thought. "You're certain that it didn't start working until after the Shield Hero's Filolial walked in?" She asked.

Raphtalia nodded her head, putting her face back behind her hands to hide her crying from the witch. "I'm positive… how could I ever forget…"

"Interesting… so the Cupid's Necklace attracted the wearer to anything that resembles a human despite age or species difference..." The witch looked like she was racking her brain when her face brightened unexpectedly. "I think I might have an idea why the Cupid's Necklace didn't work the way it was intended."

Raphtalia peaked her hands open slightly. "You, you're sure?" She quietly asked.

"Yes. It was said in ancient times that even love charms like the Cupid's Necklace didn't always work. Though those turned into the most beautiful stories I've ever heard." The witch said swooningly at the end.

"What do you mean?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

"Oh, how this old brain of mine loves to hide facts from me until they're relevant." The witch said, smiling more widely now. "In those cases, the guy or girl would react very similarly to the way the Shield Hero did. Falling in love with everyone except for the desired target."

Raphtalia put her hands back on the table. "So do you know why it didn't work? Is there something else I have to do to make it work? Something the others had that I don't-"

The witch grabbed Raphtalia's hands, cutting her off. "My dear. The reason why the charm didn't attract him to you is that he already is attracted to you."

…

Raphtalia blinked once. Then twice. She was wondering if the witch was messing with her or not. "He's, he's already… attracted to… to me?" She asked.

"Why it's one explanation for it." The witch said happily. "In the legends, the purpose of the love charms like the Cupid's Necklace was to help the process of two people to become attracted and eventually to fall in love with each other. However, there were cases where they found the love charm didn't work because the two individuals were already in love with each other…" A troubled look came onto the witches face. "I think there's a story about one time when that almost caused a war. The princess thought her prince and childhood friend was attracted to everyone except her. When in reality, the love charm directed the love he already had to every female around him." She thought about it a little more. "I think that was when most of the love charms that had been crafted were either destroyed or hidden away, becoming almost impossible to find... Now that I remember, it makes sense why they'd do that. I mean could you imagine what'd happen if the very thing that had been made to prevent a war caused another one… dear?"

The witch looked around, finally realizing that the chair across from her was empty. One more look showed her shop was empty of the demi-human girl. The witch, however, didn't seem to mind that Raphtalia had left mid-story, and happily chuckled to herself. "She must have gotten the answers she needed from me. Oh, I do hope things work out between them…" The witch pondered to herself. "Hmmm… I do think there was another reason why these love charms were banned back then… but I can't seem to remember why…"

The witch shrugged to herself. If her mind kept going the way it did, she knew she'd remember it eventually. Besides, it wasn't like it was going to be that important…

* * *

_A few minutes later_

"Master Naofumi?"

Naofumi sighed at the work he'd undertaken to calm down and help himself think was interrupted. "What is it Raphtalia?"

"Um, I was wondering if you wanted to talk." She responded nervously. Now that she was here in his home, all of her courage and hope that had fueled her legs the whole run here had gone flying out the window.

Naofumi looked up from his medicine table at his sword and companion. Who looked nervous as she closed the door behind her. "What about?" Naofumi asked blandly.

"About… about yesterday…" Raphtalia tried to start. She couldn't think of what to say after that.

Naofumi groaned as the events of yesterday went through his mind. "Don't remind me about it, please. I've already had to apologize to Filo when she came by earlier. I can't even begin to imagine what I'm going to have to say to the others…" He looked up at Raphtalia. "Was that really Glass I saw back there though?" He asked curiously.

"I… didn't stay to find out." She said, wrapping a piece of hair around her fingers nervously. "I was only concerned with getting you out of there before things got much worse than they already had…"

Raphtalia went silent and mentally braced herself. She was waiting for it. Waiting for Naofumi to say it had all been her fault it had happened. If she hadn't broken his trust the way she had, if she hadn't been so selfish wanting to get him to like her when it turned out he might have before…

"I've been thinking about it… and I'm thinking I owe you an apology too."

Raphtalia looked up surprisingly at that. "What do you mean? It was my fault you acted the way you did yesterday Master Naofumi-" She tried to say.

"I already know it was because of the necklace." He said flatly, lightly glaring at her. "Now that, was a major breach of trust." He added. "You should have known better Raphtalia."

Raphtalia choked up and hung her head in shame. "I know! I'm sorry… I know there's nothing I could do to make up for it..." She whimpered.

…

A warm hand started rubbing the top of her head. Raphtalia looked up in surprise at her master. He wasn't exactly giving her the same soft look as he did the others while under the effects of the necklace, but it was a tad softer than his normal face. "I can understand why you did it though. I know you had no ill intent behind that gift... I know I'm not the most open guy in the world. But I think I could do a little better letting you know that I care about you and how you feel." He said honestly.

Raphtalia stared in shock for a moment. It was nothing like the flowery words he'd said to all the other girls. But these words were real, and they were his. She could tell that he meant it. "Master Naofumi…"

Naofumi backed away, and his face transitioned back to its normal bland self. "I'm going to need a little time. I obviously can't overlook the fact that you tried to use a love charm on me without my permission. And that said love charm almost made me speak good about Bitch."

Raphtalia hung her head again. "I understand. I won't ever try something like that again." She said like an admonished child.

He smiled. A rare sight to get from him. "I know you won't Raphtalia. That's just one of the things I like about you. You learn from the mistakes you make." Raphtalia looked up at him. Her face was at first shocked at him admitting it, and then she looked so happy. She almost dove through the air to hug him tightly. Almost.

"Let's just promise to save any potential feelings or relationships for after we're done with the waves. You got me?" He asked.

'_Does that mean that maybe, down the road, we could end up…'_ Raphtalia smiled widely. "Okay… I'll try my best to wait until then… and I swear that I'll make sure you can trust me wholly before that." She promised.

"It's okay." He said. He didn't hug her, but he lightly gripped one of her hands and gave it a soft squeeze. "Even after what you did, I'd still trust you with my life."

Raphtalia looked like she was melting on the spot. '_He's holding my hand… he's actually holding my hand...'_ She thought dreamily.

Naofumi chuckled, bringing her back to the real world. "You know, to be honest, with how weird yesterday was and everything, I'd rather just forget it ever happened and look forward at what's ahead-" He was saying.

**Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!**

A loud knocking sound sounded at the front door, cutting off Naofumi. Both of them looked at the front door. "Were you expecting more visitors Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

"No, I wasn't." He said as he let go of Raphtalia's hand. He moved to head for the door.

"Don't worry, I'll get it," Raphtalia said, quickly cutting him off and heading to the door. Naofumi stood for a moment more and then decided to hang back out of view to figure out who wanted to see him.

Raphtalia opened the door, still feeling all happy and bubbly on the inside. She had been expecting to see someone like Filo. Or one of the villagers who needed Naofumi's help… the happiness gave way to shock. She was not expecting to see the group on the other side.

"Raphtalia. Is the Shield Hero home by any chance?" Queen Mirellia asked, holding her fan over the lower half of her face. Behind her in order was Eclair, Bitch, Melty, a guilty-looking Filo, Glass, and a nervous-looking Rishia.

"Um, he is… may I ask what this is about?" Raphtalia asked confusedly at seeing such an odd assortment in front of her.

"Well, we all got together and discussed what Naofumi had said to us individually after you left yesterday," Eclair said.

"And while part of my heart will always belong to Itsuki," Rishia said nervously while playing with her green hair.

"And while I'll still say he's the devil incarnate." Bitch said arrogantly.

"And even though he told me he wasn't serious about what he said earlier," Filo said almost dejectedly.

"And although I'm much younger than him," Melty said nervously.

"And despite me having a desire to still protect my world." Glass said.

"And me being much older than Naofumi, and the Queen of Melromarc." The Queen added.

All of them looked at each other, nodded, and then looked at Raphtalia at the same time. "We all decided we love him and want to be with him!" The whole group yelled at the same time.

...

Raphtalia looked back at Naofumi, who had very wide eyes where he was hidden behind the doors. Then she looked back at the group. "What?" She squeaked out.

"I know, it's all a little sudden for us too!" Melty quickly added.

"We just figured it out for ourselves yesterday!" Rishia said nervously.

"And we know it's against the laws for multiple women to form a harem with a man," Eclair added quickly after Rishia.

"Just yesterday I was planning on accidentally tripping and stabbing him through the heart." Bitch said next. "But the way he minced insults and compliments together was so well done…" She trailed off dreamily, little anime hearts coming off of her head. A few of the other girls had similar expressions come onto their faces.

"And while my world would look down on me joining myself to a harem. Well, love makes all of us do strange things." Glass was probably going for a wise saying there… still, it sounded rather creepy to Raphtalia.

"And since I am the ruler of Melromarc, I can ensure that such laws can be changed if it's for the good of those who are in love." Queen Mirella said determinedly.

Raphtalia looked back into the room. Master Naofumi was giving her hand signals on what to do. He also seemed to be gagging at what Myne and probably Glass had said. She got the overall message. He definitely didn't want to get himself involved in this mess.

"I mean, he is still feeling unwell-" Raphtalia tried to say.

"Then let us take care of Master!" Filo said excitedly.

"I know some healing magic!" Rishia said next.

"I can promise him the best treatment at the hands of my magicians." The Queen said.

"Well, he says that he's too sick to leave the house-" Raphtalia tried to say.

"Then I could order my magicians here." The Queen said as if it wasn't an issue.

"And we could help him to feel better in the meantime!" Eclair said happily.

"I can even promise not to stab him too hard while I help using acupuncture!" Myne said more upbeatedly.

Raphtalia looked back at Naofumi, who was now giving her desperate hand gestures. She didn't know all of them, but she got the general meaning. "I'm sorry. He really doesn't want company at this time-" She tried to say.

"But master has you in there with him!" Filo whined.

"Yeah, how do we know you aren't hogging Naofumi all for yourself!" Melty said accusingly.

All the girls started glaring at her, including the normally calm faced Eclair. The fact that Glass's and Myne's glares were added to the mix probably didn't help.

"We all know that you love Naofumi too, or are we wrong?" The Queen asked in an unusually jealousy filled tone.

"Um, heh heh." Raphtalia laughed nervously. She could stand her ground against a zombie dragon and other sorts of large creatures. But the glares from this assorted group of girls was almost as scary as the time she faced down the Cerberus dog with Naofumi. Who was at that point looking deathly scared where he was standing out of view behind her. He was now mouthing only two words to her, all hand signals forgotten.

_'Help me.'_

"I'll be back with you in just one moment. I'll just make sure Master Naofumi is okay with it." She said nervously, closing the door in as calm a way as she could.

…

…

The group of girls stood outside for a few minutes. Waiting for the door to open again…

…

…

"What's taking them so long?" Melty complained childishly.

"Master can't be feeling that bad, can he?" Filo asked worriedly.

"Hmmm…" The Queen looked up at the roof. "Shadow, are Raphtalia and the Shield Hero still in the Shield Hero's establishment?" She asked.

After a moment, a lady garbed in black appeared bowing on the rooftop. "No milady. I was observing the pair interacting inside after the demi-human closed the door. I daresay I didn't realize the demi-human's illusion magic was subtle enough to fool even us shadows until the illusions disappeared. The other shadows are trying to find where they ran off to as we speak." She said. Her normally calm tone was also filled with jealousy.

"A pity. It seems like Raphtalia does want Naofumi for herself." Queen Mirellia said as if she was disappointed.

Arguing broke out among the girls. "That's not fair! Raphtalia has always been selfish with Master!" Filo yelled angrily.

"A filthy demi-human dares to hog the Devil of the Shield from me!" Bitch yelled in an enraged tone.

"I go through all the trouble of getting here and forming a truce because of my heart just to have it slapped back in my face!" Glass yelled indignantly.

"I, I know I'm not as good looking as her, but, but that isn't a reason to take Naofumi away from me!" Rishia said angrily through her usual nervousness.

"Away from us!" Eclair amended angrily.

"Yeah!" The rest of the girls yelled with bloodlust in their tones. There truly was nothing more terrifying than a girl shunned by the *cough cough* **'love'** of her life. Except maybe a whole group of them in love with the same person, all of whom were extremely powerful in various scary ways from magic, to sword fighting, to worst of all, politics.

"I guess we have no choice," Melty said determinedly, looking up at her mother.

"Sigh… I'm afraid you're right my dear Melty." The Queen lowered the fan just enough to reveal the reserved angry frown on her lips. "It appears we'll have to hunt them down and take Naofumi for ourselves." The Queen said with finality.

"I daresay, it shall be as thou hast commanded." The Shadow who was also in love with Naofumi said from the shadows.

* * *

The witch was busy organizing her last shelf when she came to a realization. "Oh! That was why they banned love charms like this from being used again!"

She pulled out the Cupid's Necklace. "In the situation of the prince, it acted as a two-way charm! The individuals the wearer fell in love with also fell in love with him! And while the prince of the legends lost the feelings he'd expressed to those other girls soon after taking it off, the girls his affection had been targeted on stayed in love with him for a whole month!"

The witch looked at the necklace for a moment more, and then a look of 'oh' came onto her face. "Oh dear, and the prince and princess had to deal with all the love-struck girls until the effects wore off… and the girls became more desperate as time passed and almost started an all-out war between the city-states to get their prince..."

...

The witch looked down at the innocent-looking Cupid's Necklace and then grimaced. With one flick of her hand, fire engulfed the ancient love charm, destroying it within seconds. "Maybe it'd be for the best if no one discovered how to remake the love charms of legend…"

She went back to organizing her shop. "And I do hope those two survive the next few weeks together." The witch then smiled swooningly to herself. "Though I have no doubt that by the time it's over, their story will turn into one just as beautiful as the one told of the ancient prince and princess!"

...

"We're coming for you Naofumi!" Melty's voice yelled outside.

"You and that demi-human brat won't outrun us forever!" Bitch's voice was heard next.

"And we won't stop until you're loving all of us like you're supposed to." Glass's voice was heard last as the large group of girls rode on horseback into the forest.

It'd be the beginning of a long, drawn-out chase that'd go across various countries and locales over a period of two months. Finishing just in time before the next wave arrived.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Okay, that wraps up this one-shot. Like I said up above, I wanted to make this as ridiculous as possible and make fun of a bunch of stuff while I was at it. Like a love charm attracting someone to younger/older girls. Or attracting someone (somewhat successfully) to their bitterest enemies. Or even being attracted to completely mysterious characters.**

**I don't know if I'll ever go into trying to write about the girls chasing after Naofumi and Raphtalia. I already have a lot on my palate for stuff I'm working on. All I know for sure is that it'd likely be long, chock full of ridiculous stuff and hilarious scenarios and dialogue. And by the time it finally got to the end when everyone finally got over the effects of the love charm, they'd all probably agree it'd be for the best to forget about the last couple of months. Though, to be honest, some of the stuff that'd happen would likely be very hard to forget. ;)**

**Till Next Time**

**Allen**


End file.
